Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
n. 2. B. How the State will leverage other public and private funds to increase resources for extended services and expanded supported employment opportunities for youth with the most significant disabilities.
Current Narrative:
As described elsewhere in the State Plan, DVR continues to work closely with various stakeholders and partners to increase resources and improve supported employment opportunities for youth the most significant disabilities through the Employment First Advisory Partnership (EFAP). Several EFAP recommendations relate directly to youth with the most significant disabilities. During 2019, DVR partnered with WINTAC to begin initial training efforts in Customized Employment, including piloting this training the transition team at a local school district. As Colorado continues to expand this initiative, school district staff will continue to be an important partners. During the 2019 legislative session, key stakeholders played an important role in increasing state funding of DVR’s and HCPF’s Employment First initiatives, supporting the further development of supported employment opportunities for youth the most significant disabilities. This funding included the creation of the Colorado Office of Employment First (COEF), which will be actively engaged in further expanding awareness and opportunities for competitive integrated employment for individuals with the most significant disabilities, including youth.
During 2019, DVR and HCPF served as co-lead agencies for the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP) grant. While this grant did not provide funding for supported employment services, the technical assistance provided supports Colorado’s ability to explore and identify strategies to further expand the implementation of Employment First, including supported employment. DVR continues to seek opportunities that build upon these experiences in order to ensure the availability of supported employment services to youth and others with the most significant disabilities.
DVR continues to work actively with education partners at both the state and local level to assure that youth with the most significant disabilities have access to career, transition and employment services, including supported employment services along with all Colorado youth. DVR has worked to infuse best practices within these areas, so that the needs of youth with the most significant disabilities are considered and met. Colorado DVR and Colorado Department of Education state-level staff work and travel as a team throughout the state to respond to requests and to provide training, technical assistance and facilitation to local community agencies, such as schools and adult organizations, as these entities work to provide collaborative transition services to youth with the most significant disabilities.
The Office of Behavioral Health applied for and, with DVR’s support, has been accepted into the Johnson and Johnson–Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program. When funding for an IPS trainer through this program came to an end, OBH maintained this position to continue to build upon these efforts and further expand IPS in Colorado.